I Go When You Go
by leosimpishgrin
Summary: Margaret is ill, and Leo is the one to take care of her and he refuses to go home and leave her alone with no one to care for her.


_**I Go When You Go**_

By: leosimpishgrin

Pairing: Leo and Margaret AU romance.

Spoilers: Up to and including season 5.

Rating: R

Disclaimers: The characters are not mine and I have not received any monetary awards for this story, they are the property of NBC, Aaron Sorkin, and John Wells.

Feedback: It would be lovely and most appreciated.

Thanks: Many thanks to my great friends, mentors and fellow writers: BETTY and BEV. Yahoo IM has allowed us the opportunity to brainstorm many stories in the past year. I couldn't do it without them. Thank you so much. Also to Mel, Lee and Kenzy for their gentle encouragement.

We are all a small part of wonderful group of women dedicated to the enjoyment of all Leo stories. We can't get enough of them, so we have to write them ourselves.

AN: This particular story was started before Bev (Adoreleo) initiated her Blanket Challenge but I was easily able to incorporate HIS Air Force Blanket into it. Hope you enjoy it.

**I Go When You Go Part 1**

_Tuesday morning_

"Margaret?" Leo bellows for the second time in the past few seconds. He finally loses his patience and wanders out to Margaret's office after she didn't answer his last call for her.

She has been away from her desk a lot the last couple of days. Not that he has much to complain about, she always seems to have their work done but he does wonder what she's been up to.

He goes back into his office and continues to read his brief and waits for her to return.

Margaret makes her way back to her office. She's pale and a little unsteady on her feet. She hasn't been feeling well for the last two days. There's so much going on here and she doesn't want to leave Leo in the hands of a temp, he is never happy when she's away from work.

Her stomach has been upset, and she has a dull ache in across her upper abdomen. It's definitely worse today. She feels so much better lying down. She has been lying down on the cool floor in the bathroom more than once today, just trying to get through the day.

Leo bellows her name when she gets back; so, she grabs her note pad and pencil and goes right on in.

"Where were you? I haven't seen much of you today."

"I'm sorry. I had to go to the rest room. What did you need?" Margaret says as she sits down.

"Umm…I need to get some letters out, and I need you to summarize two reports for me," he says without looking up.

"Okay, shoot," she says, ready with pad and pen.

They work for a few minutes, but Margaret's stomach is starting churning again, and she has some beads of sweat breaking out on her forehead. She's going to be sick again, but she doesn't want Leo to know that she's ill. She tries to hold on and finish the letters, but she starts to fidget, and Leo looks up at her, "Are you okay?"

"Um… I think I need to…go to…" and she gets up quickly, knowing she's not going to make it to the rest room this time, and with her eyes flashing wildly about for something to be sick in, she panics.

Leo knows that look all too well. You can't have helped raise a child and not know that look. He grabs his waste paper basket and dumps it just as she begins to throw up. Leo, in all these years, has never seen Margaret sick like this. He holds her hair back and rubs a soothing hand on her back.

Margaret is just mortified that Leo is seeing her like this. He's not supposed to look after her. That's her job. She starts to cry as she apologizes to him, "Leo, I'm so sorry…" She starts to get sick again. There's nothing left in her stomach anyway so she just dry heaves instead. She hasn't had much to eat or drink in the last couple of days, and what she has had, she has thrown up.

Leo sets her down on his couch and runs to get her some water. He sits beside her and takes a better look at her. She looks terrible. She's sweating and pale, and she looks a little dehydrated. "How long?" He asks with a both a little anger and concern.

She looks up at him and knows she can't… no… she won'tlie to him. "A couple of days, but today has been worse."

Leo gets up and walks over to the phone and punches in some numbers, "Abbey, can you come to my office? You better bring your medical bag with you … it's Margaret… she's sick… a couple of days… vomiting… yeah, ok… I'll see you in a few minutes, Thanks Abbey."

Leo moves over to his winged back chair and picks up his Air Force blanket and walks back to her and motions for her to lay down. He puts a pillow under her head, and the warm knitted blanket over her as she tries to tell him she's okay, "Leo, I'm fine. I don't need the First Lady to come here. We have work to do. We don't have time for this," she says as she tries to sit up.

Leo gently pushes her back down, "Yeah we do, but you're more important than anything going on in this office right now. Can I get you anything?"

"Yeah you can let me get up and get back to work. I feel better now."

"I somehow doubt that. Margaret, you look terrible… I mean you look tired and pale and weak and well … just… sick."

"I'm fine, Leo."

"No, you're not and you are going to let Abbey take a look at you before you go home to bed."

There's a knock at the door and in comes Abbey with her big black bag. Margaret tries to get up, but both Leo and Abbey stop her. "Margaret, stay put. I mean it," says Abbey.

Abbey takes Leo's place as she places her bag on the table and opens it. "Are you okay if Leo stays or do you want him to step out?"

"No, it's okay if he stays."

"Is there anything I should know about your health?" Abbey questions her quietly while she takes Margaret's temperature and blood pressure and listens to her heart and lungs. She looks into her eyes and her throat.

Margaret shakes her head no with the thermometer in her mouth.

"Okay, now tell me how long have you been feeling sick?" Abbey removes the thermometer and reads it before putting it away.

"Just a couple of days but today I can't seem to keep anything down."

"Do you have any pain, anywhere at all?"

"Yeah a little, across my stomach and a little on my side, but I just think that's from throwing up so much."

"Can you show me where?"

Margaret indicates her stomach and a little to her right side. Abbey presses a little on her side and asks her, "Does this hurt?"

"Not that much."

"How about now?" Abbey asks as she releases her side.

Margaret sucks her breath in as the pain stabs in her side.

Leo has been watching this from across the room but when he saw Margaret in pain he jumps to his feet and crosses the room, "What did you do to her, Abbey???"

"It's okay, Leo. Okay, here is what I think is going on. Margaret, you have a fever, and your blood pressure is a little low and you look dehydrated. That along with your nausea and vomiting and the abdominal pain suggests that it could be your appendix."

"I'm going to call G.W.'s ER and talk to someone about doing some blood work and an abdominal ultrasound. If it is your appendix then it will need to be removed. Today! Now we need to find someone to take you and stay with you," Abbey says as she moves to the phone to get the ball rolling.

"I don't need anyone to go with me. I can take a taxi. It isn't a big deal," Margaret argues.

Leo pipes up, "I'm going with you. Abbey go ahead and make the call. I'll make sure she gets there," says Leo as he begins to gather his things together.

"Leo, you don't have time for this…" Margaret tries to stop him.

"Margaret, we'll make the time. This is your health," Leo is adamant in his resolve to take her.

Margaret can't believe how quickly things were arranged. Only fifteen minutes had passed, and she was settled in the back of Leo's car in his arms with his Air Force blanket covering her and keeping her warm.

They arrive at G.W.'s Emergency Entrance, and Leo helps her out of the car and into a wheelchair and places his blanket on her lap. Then Leo steers her into the reception and triage desk. It is strangely quiet in the Emergency Department for this time of day, so they didn't have to wait at all. He gives the clerk her name and tells him that arrangements have been made for her to see Dr. Kidson.

Margaret gives the clerk all her vital insurance information, and they are shown to an examining room.

A nurse enters and introduces herself and takes Margaret's vital signs, her height and weight as well as a preliminary medical history and to see whether she has any medication allergies. She takes out a blue hospital gown and tells her she needs to get changed into it. Leo steps out while the nurse helps her into the gown and places Margaret's clothes into a plastic bag, which she hands to Leo when he reenters the room.

Dr. Kidson enters the room soon after and looks at the chart, "Hello Margaret, I'm Dr. Kidson. It's nice to meet you. Dr. Bartlet explained a little bit about your problem. Would you like to ask your friend to step out? I need to do a quick examination and a bit of a more of a medical history including some rather personal questions."

Leo is ready to leave, but she wants him to stay. Leo continues to hold her hand and gives it a squeeze in support. "No it's fine. There's nothing that he can't hear. If he wants to stay that is?"

He smiles and nods that it's ok. He won't leave her alone.

The doctor does a quick physical exam, and then he starts with the history questions, "These are routine questions for anyone who comes in with abdominal pain along with vomiting, okay?"

Margaret nods her head yes.

"Have you had pain like this before?"

"No."

"Could you be pregnant?"

"No."

"When was your last menstrual cycle?"

"Um… it started two weeks ago."

"Do you have a history of pain when ovulating or menstruating?"

"Yeah that was one of the reasons I went on birth control pills?"

"How long have you been on them?"

"Almost 15 years?"

"Do you take any medications, prescription or otherwise?"

"No."

"Do you have any bowel problems like constipation or irritable bowel syndrome?"

"No, not usually but for the last couple of days maybe a little bit but I thought maybe it was because I wasn't eating enough."

"Okay, I am going to get the ultrasound machine and I am going to have the nurse come back in and draw some blood work to see if your white cell count is elevated, which could indicate the presence of infection. Plus, I want her to put in an IV. Even if it isn't your appendix, and I think it is, I want you to have some IV fluids. You are moderately dehydrated. How long has it been since you have been able to keep any food or fluids down?"

"A couple of days," she shyly says as she drops her head.

"When did you last go pee?"

"Umm… I… think it was first thing this morning, but not much. Why?"

"Well its just helping me to figure out how dehydrated you are? Lack of urine, sweat, tears and saliva are ways of assessing your fluid status. We'll know more with the bloodwork. But, I think you're pretty dry right now. You'll need an IV until you are drinking fluids well again. I want you here overnight anyway. You need at least a couple of liters of fluid, maybe more. Your blood work will also show us if you are dehydrated and what kind of fluids to use to rehydrate you. I'll be back in a few minutes," he says as he swoops out the door.

"Wow. I'm sorry Leo. You probably know more about me now than you ever wanted to," she says with a little flush to her face. "Plus, this is taking so long. You should go back to the office. I'll be fine."

"Don't worry about it. Let's just get you taken care of," he says as he brushes his lips against her warm forehead. They have worked together for so long; he cares a great deal for her. He wants to be the one to take care of her. He doesn't want to staff this out.

Leo stays with her and holds her other hand as the IV is put in, and the blood work is drawn. Leo tries to get her to rest while they wait. She looks exhausted. He is there for her when she is sick one more time before the doctor comes back with the blood results, and a quick ultrasound confirms that it is her appendix. They will take her to the OR as soon as things can be arranged.

He sits quietly beside her stretcher, and then Leo asks her, "Do you want to call your family or I can do it for you, if you want?"

"No, it's not a big deal. You can call them later and let them know how things went. They don't need to come here. I'll be back to work in a few days."

"Okay, who do you want me to call?"

"My folks are in New Hampshire," she tells him as she gives him the phone number.

"Why don't you rest until they're ready for you?" Leo tries to encourage her to close her eyes. He can tell she's uncomfortable and is trying to stay awake to keep him company. "I'll wait here with you."

"Leo, why don't you go back to the office? I'm fine. Really, I don't mind," she tries once again to convince him to leave.

"No way, don't worry about it. I'm not going anywhere. Just rest," Leo smiles at her tactics to get him to leave her, but just as she would never leave him, he would never leave her now.

He quietly sits with her until the porters come for her. The nurse arrives and checks her hospital ID band and places her paperwork on the stretcher as Leo grabs her purse and his briefcase as well as the bag of her clothing. He walks along side the stretcher until they get to the OR doors. Leo is directed to the waiting room where the doctor will come and speak with him when he is finished with her surgery.

Leo places the items on the floor and walks over to her. He takes her hand and leans over to kiss her forehead. "I'll see you soon. I'll wait for you in your room, after I talk to the doctor, and you get out of the recovery room."

"Okay… bye. See you later," she says as she squeezes his hand. She's a little scared but knows that this has to be done.

She smiles bravely and gives him a little wave goodbye as she is wheeled through the doors leaving Leo to worry and wait.

_Tuesday late afternoon_

Leo is waiting in the private room that he arranged for Margaret when she is wheeled in on a stretcher and transferred onto the bed. She still has an IV in her hand and sleeping, she never even stirred when they transferred her onto her bed.

The nurse takes her vital signs, and pulls back the sheet and gown to look at her incision and her IV site, and records everything on her chart. She nods and smiles to Leo, "Everything looks just fine. She'll be waking up soon," and leaves the room. Leo pulls the chair over closer to the bedside and sits down. He holds her cool hand waiting for her to wake up. He puts his Air Force blanket over her to keep her safe and warm.

The operation itself took only about an hour or so and then some time in the recovery room. It's still only 5 pm. After he talked to the doctor, Leo called her parents and Abbey to tell them that the surgery was over and let them know she was okay. He also got something to eat. He doesn't want to leave her alone once she gets back from the OR. He still plans on staying with her tonight.

He got her some clear fluids to drink later for when she feels up to it, and then he hung her clothes up in the closet, while he waited. He couldn't concentrate on the briefing books, or even the crossword puzzle he brought with him; he was too worried about her while she was in the OR. He's just thankful it wasn't anything more serious than her appendix.

It's only Tuesday, and the workweek has barely started but it has been a long day worrying about Margaret and it's so quiet in the room that Leo begins to nod off.

A little while later, Margaret's eyes flutter open, and she briefly wonders where she is. She's groggy, her side hurts and her mouth is dry.

Margaret sees Leo sitting beside her, still holding her hand. She smiles, 'he looks so peaceful when he's sleeping and it's a sight she doesn't get to see very often,' as she looks down at their joined hands. This is nice; we usually don't touch like this. It has been something of an unwritten rule between them through the years.

He has been so sweet to her today, just wanting taking care of her. She told him she didn't want him to help her, but she really does appreciate everything he has done for her. She lets him sleep, as she drifts back off to sleep too.

When she wakes up again a little while later, Leo is still sleeping, his head dropped forward and is now resting on the bed and he is snoring softly but she is really thirsty. She smiles as she watches him sleep she slips her hand from his and runs her hand through his hair. It is so soft, softer than she ever imagined. She has never dared touched his hair before.

She tries to reach for some water and moans in pain. Leo's head snaps up, he stands and says softly as he takes her hand, "Hey there, how are you feeling? Are you okay? Do you need something?" He brushes his lips against her forehead. He was never done this before, and he has done it three times today.

Margaret nods and whispers roughly, "I'm a little groggy but mostly I'm really thirsty."

He brushes her bangs to the side and leans in to brush his lips to her forehead once again lingering there this time, "Your fever seems to be down," he informs her.

"Thank you, Doctor McGarry," she sighs and smiles softly.

"I just meant that you don't seem as warm as you did before the surgery," he explains, as he runs a hand down her arm.

"I like how you take temperatures," she smiles.

Leo flushes at her comment, "Its... umm… how… I used to do it for Mallory." He backpedals, trying to cover the real reason why he's been kissing her.

"Oh," Margaret says in a slightly disappointed voice. She had hoped it was more than that.

Leo frowns at her sad voice as he grabs a water cup and a straw and holds it to her lips, "Just take some a sip or two and swish it around your mouth. You have to take it easy at first. I have gingerale and some of your favorite juices for you to drink when you are ready for more fluids. Nothing diet, you need the sugar today."

Margaret gives him a sweet smile, "Thanks Leo, but I'm supposed to be the one taking care of you."

"Margaret, you have been doing that for over 14 years now," Leo smiles at the surprised look on Margaret's face. "Yes, I know how long you've worked for me, don't act so shocked," he smirks. "Its about time I get to take care of you," he informs her.

She sighs and smiles as her eyes close. She is still very tired and starts to go back to sleep. Even though she would never admit it to anyone especially Leo, but she is glad someone is there to look after her and she's glad it's Leo who is here with her. Margaret has so much that she wants to say to him right now, but she just can't keep her eyes open. She's a little embarrassed for him to see her like this, but she's seen him in worse conditions.

She falls asleep quickly as Leo stands there holding her hand, looking at this wonderful person who's saved his butt more times than he will ever probably know. He sighs as he releases her hand, sits back down in the chair next to her and leans over and rests his head on her hand.

_Tuesday evening_

Margaret wakes up later and looks around the darkened room. Her side hurts, and her stomach upset. "Leo?"

Leo's head pops up, and he looks at her, "Hey there. What's the matter?" He softly asks her. But, he doesn't need the answer; he can see the pain in her eyes.

"I don't feel so good… my stomach…" she says, as she moves her hand to her stomach.

Leo looks around for a basin in case she is sick, and he finds it just in time. There isn't much in her stomach to be sick but… it's probably just the anesthetic. Maybe they can give her something to help with it.

He pushes the call bell, and a nurse's voice comes over the speaker, "Can I help you?"

"Yes, Margaret is getting sick and is having some pain. Can she have something to help her?"

"I'll be right there with something for her, Sir."

True to her word the nurse arrives a few minutes later with an injection for her. She asks Margaret if she needs to go the bathroom before she rolls Margaret onto her side and pulls back the sheet and her gown a little. The nurse doesn't notice Leo blush when he sees a little flash of her bottom as the nurse gives her the injection.

Margaret tells her no, not yet. The nurse also hangs another IV bag to replace the almost empty one. She takes another set of vital signs, empties the basin and replaces it. She helps Margaret rinse her mouth before settling her down to sleep again.

The nurse sees a look of concern on Leo's face. "Don't worry, everything is fine. It is quite normal for some nausea and vomiting after surgery and to have some pain. She can have something every four to six hours for nausea and pain, if she needs it. Hopefully, she will rest most of the night. You should go home and try to rest while she is sleeping."

"Thanks, but I'll stay. I want to be here for her if… she needs me. It's all right, isn't it?" He shyly looks down at his hands.

"Of course it is. This is a lovely knitted blanket. It's nice that you brought it for her. Please let me know if you need anything," she says as she smoothes the blankets over Margaret.

"Yeah, umm, thanks for everything," Leo says as he takes Margaret's hand and sits in the chair beside her again.

Another hour passes as Leo reads some of the briefs he brought with him, when Margaret starts to get restless.

"Margaret, are you okay? Do you need something?"

"I need to go to the bathroom."

"Do you want me to get the nurse?"

"No, I think you can help, just help me sit up and swing me around to stand up," she says as she pulls back the blanket to expose her legs.

Leo pulls her up and helps her to stand. He reaches around to close the back of her gown to protect her dignity. She smiles up to him, "Thanks."

She shuffles over to the bathroom, pushing the IV pole along. Leo opens the door and helps her to sit, then closes the door for privacy.

"Leo?"

He opens the door after he hears the toilet flush, "Do you want to put your under… um… things on?"

She blushes and says, "Yeah, do you still have my clothes and stuff?"

"Yeah, I hung everything up and put your other things away."

Leo moves over to the closet and brings her panties to her, but she needs help getting them over her feet. They are both a little embarrassed; it is the most personal they have been with each other. But, she is also in pain, and she can suffer with the embarrassment because she knows she needs the help.

Leo helps her to stand and then turns his back as she finishes pulling them up. She washes her hands, and then he helps her back into bed.

"I have your wallet in my briefcase. Do you need someone to get some things from your apartment? I can arrange for one of the assistants to go to your apartment."

"Can we talk about this tomorrow? I'm just so tired right now."

"Of course we can. You just rest now," he kisses her on the head again.

"Leo, why don't you go home? It was just minor surgery, and I am just going to sleep tonight anyway."

"I go when you go. Does that sound familiar? I am not leaving you here alone. I know you wouldn't leave me," he adds with a smile.

She smiles at him and nods her head. "Okay."

She sighs contentedly and falls off to sleep.

Leo resettles into his hard chair beside the bed. It is getting late now. Hopefully, she will sleep for a while now.

Margaret wakes up and can tell it's late now. Leo is still sitting beside her bed sound asleep. She knows he'll have a headache and sore neck if he sleeps like this for the night, "Leo?" Margaret softly whispers as she slides over in the bed. "Why don't you lay down up here? If you're gonna be stubborn and stay, you should at least be somewhat comfortable."

"Okay," he sleepily but shyly says as he sleepily crawls onto the bed with her and then he takes the Air Force blanket and lays it over both of them. He thinks at first that this might be awkward, but he feels so comfortable laying here by her side, as though he was always meant to be here with her.

The evening nurse smiles when she enters the room at 11:30 p.m. to take Margaret's vital signs one more time before she hands over to the night shift nurse. She is not surprised to see the man who bought Margaret in, curled up next to her with a protective arm wrapped around her. She could see the concern and affection in his eyes earlier in the evening. She quietly goes about her job and leaves them alone.

They sleep uninterrupted for the rest of the night. The night nurse managed to do her vital signs during the night without waking either of them up.

_Wednesday early morning_

In the early morning hours the door opens, and an agent sweeps quickly through the room.

A couple of moments later the President and First Lady enter the room and find Leo, and Margaret curled into each other sound asleep covered by Leo's Air Force blanket.

Jed asks Abbey, "When do think these two are going to get a clue?"

"I think they might make it yet," Abbey whispers back to her husband as Abbey moves over to Margaret, and feels her forehead and her pulse.

"I think he's worried about their age difference, but seeing them like this now, how could anyone ever think about that. They seem so made for each other," Jed tells his wife.

"Leo looks ten years younger when he's next to her like this," Abbey agrees.

"I haven't seen him this relaxed in years," Jed smiles.

The talking in the room starts to wake up Margaret. She opens her eyes and sees the First Lady standing beside the bed holding her hand. She immediately tries to sit up and gasps in pain, from moving too quickly and wakes up Leo in the process.

"Whoa there, not so fast," Abbey tries to get Margaret to hold still.

Jed helps a sleepy Leo up and off the bed to stop him from jostling Margaret.

Margaret has not seen Jed yet. "Ma'am, what are you doing here? What time is it?"

"It's still early, but we didn't want to disrupt the hospital routines coming in here, so we thought we would come in early," Abbey explains.

"We?"

"Good morning, Margaret," comes a voice she instantly recognizes from the other side of the bed.

"Mr. President? Sir, what are you doing here?" She squeaks out as she tries to sit up and pull Leo's blanket higher to cover the hospital gown. Her face is flushed bright red.

"At ease Margaret. Relax. Please, Abbey and I just wanted to check on you. How are you feeling this morning?" The President places a hand on hers, trying to settle her down.

"I'm fine Sir. Thank you for asking. You didn't need to go to the trouble to come here. I'll probably go home later today."

"Leo how is she really?" The President knows better than to believe her.

"She's doing better. She was a little sick from the anesthetic last night and in some pain, but they gave her something for it, and she slept through the rest of the night after that."

Margaret blushes even more with Leo telling them about her being sick again.

Abbey jumps in and asks, "How is your stomach this morning? Do you think you can drink something and keep it down?"

"I think so Ma'am, but first I need to…" She says as she glances in the direction of the bathroom door.

"Okay Guys, out in the hallway please."

The men can take a hint and quickly move to the door.

Abbey quickly opens a bag she brought along and pulls out some slippers and a nightgown and housecoat to help Margaret feel more herself. "I thought you could use some things this morning. I sent Zoey out to pick these up for you yesterday afternoon. I didn't think you would have a chance to get any of your own things yet."

Margaret smiles shyly and says, "Thank you, Ma'am. You didn't have to go to all that expense or trouble."

"You are most welcome. Now lets get you up to the bathroom and cleaned up." They quickly get Margaret up and on her feet, as she shuffles across the room with the IV pole for some balance and into the bathroom. Abbey helps her sit down and then leaves her to her business.

When she is done, Margaret stands up on her own, and washes her hands. There is a quiet knock on the door, "Come in."

Abbey enters with a toothbrush and toothpaste and a smile, "I thought you could use some help to change into the nightgown, and brush your teeth. Do you have a hairbrush here? We can get you all straightened up and back into bed before the guys come back in."

"Yes Ma'am, it's in my purse. Leo said he put my things away, so it must be in the room somewhere."

"Okay."

Abbey returns a few minutes later, and they finish things up and get her back into bed.

"Margaret, you're moving around pretty well this morning but you probably need something for pain soon. Are you having much pain? There's no reason for you to be uncomfortable. Maybe if we can get you to keep some oral fluids down we can get you some oral pain medication," Abbey asks.

"Well I'm okay for now, but I may need something soon, especially with getting up for walks," Margaret replies.

"Well, be sure to let a nurse know before it gets to be too much, it works better that way, doesn't take so long to kick in," Abbey lets her know.

"Okay I will next time someone comes in to check on me."

"Margaret? Is there anything going on with you and Leo?" Abbey finally gets to the root of the reason for her visit.

"No," Margaret fidgets a little, "Why do you ask?"

Abbey's unsure how much to press Margaret and so she starts gently, "Its just that Leo came here with you yesterday and stayed with you, and he obviously stayed the night here… with you… in your bed… and you looked so cute and comfortable with each other this morning under his blanket… so… I just wondered if there was something going on."

"I tried to get him to go back to the office yesterday and go home last night, but he says, 'I go when you go.' When he wouldn't go home, I couldn't stand the fact that he was uncomfortable, so I told him to get on the bed since he was so stubborn and not leaving anyway."

"Oh Okay," the First Lady says with a smile, "His blanket, you know… he doesn't share that with just anyone?"

Margaret blushes again with the First Lady's comments.

Waiting in the hallway, a similar conversation is taking place between the President and his Chief of Staff.

"So what's going on with you and Margaret? You looked pretty cozy this morning," Jed smirks at Leo.

"What? Nothing is going on. It's just that she has always taken care of me, and everything that entails… even in my drinking days. I think it's more than time for me to return the favor."

Leo looks down at his feet and starts to pace. He spent a lot of time yesterday thinking about all the times she helped him, and he realized that It's been a pretty one sided relationship in that respect. "Its just time Sir."

Leo stops pacing and looks at Jed, "I want to look after her; I don't want her to be alone going through this. I know this is minor surgery, but she still needs me."

Leo can see him start to object and jumps in, "She has no one here to take care of her and… well… I know this is really a bad time but… I'd like to take a couple of days and sorta… um, take care of her."

The President isn't really thrilled with the idea, "What if she comes and stays with us in the Residence? She'll be close by and well taken care of. Abbey will be there to keep an eye on her too."

Jed takes a breath and makes a face when he sees that Leo is serious, "What about her family? Why can't they look after her? Leo, I can't afford to not have you at work right now."

"She doesn't want her family here, her parents are older and it's a long way to travel and well… they don't have a lot of money… they are proud people. And, I really want to do it. I owe her more than you will ever know," Leo almost pleads with him.

Jed moves over to his friend's side and places a hand on his shoulder, "Leo, you really care for her, don't you?"

Leo nervously responds, "I think… well… I mean… that, Oh Hell, I do care about her and I need to be there for her and… damnit… I think I might even… love… her," he finally relents.

"Really?" Jed gleefully smiles.

"Yeah, I do. Now I just need to find a way to tell her," Leo is flustered and starts to pace again. "Jed, I haven't done this for years and I don't know what to do now. What if she doesn't feel the same way about me?"

"Leo calm down. I can promise you she does. Abbey and I have been watching and talking about you two for some time now," Jed tries to reassure Leo.

"Really?" Leo almost whines.

"Yes really. Now get in there and show some backbone, and tell her how you feel. You never seem to lack any backbone when you are telling me what to do," Jed smirks.

"Nah, Sir this is different. I'm not afraid of 'you.' Margaret is in charge of me… of my life, and if I piss her off there'll be Hell to pay! God help me," Leo chuckles.

Leo suddenly wonders if the same thing hasn't been going on in her room that just happened out here in the hallway. He looks at Jed and then the door. He recognizes a tag team when he sees and immediately knocks on the door.

"Come in," Abbey calls out.

Leo makes his way over to a newly refreshed Margaret in her new nightgown. "You look much better this morning. How are you feeling?" He gives her another kiss on the forehead and takes hold of her hand. She squeezes his hand in thanks.

"Are you feeling up to some fluids this morning?" Leo begins to get out some of the drinks he picked up for her the day before and lines some of them out in front of her. They are all her favorites. She chooses an apple juice to start with, and he puts a straw in the drink box for her. He helps her with it being mindful of the IV in her hand.

Abbey looks at them and thinks they look so cute together.

Jed calls Abbey over to the side to quietly talk about Margaret going home, "What's your schedule like for the next few days?"

"What do you have in mind?" She asks curiously.

"When do you think she can go home?"

"Well, she could probably go home later today if she didn't live alone."

"Leo wants a few days off to stay home and look after her, but I need him at the office at least part of today. Do you think she would consider staying with us and maybe you could keep an eye on her and keep her company while Leo's in the office?"

"Jed you need to let the poor man have a few days off, especially after everything he's done for you this past year," Abbey tries to reason with him.

"Let him do this if he wants to, and stop thinking about yourself for once and think about what Leo needs. He needs this time off. Have you really looked at him lately? He looks so haggard and drawn; I bet he's lost 15 pounds this past year."

She continues seeing his guilty look, "Stop acting like you can't make it through the day without him by your side. Leo needs a break! You get breaks all the time, but Leo always stays at the White House making sure it stays running for you."

He's a little surprised by his wife's outburst. She really hasn't had much good to say about Leo since last summer. He didn't even think they've spoken that much. And he knows that the time they spent cooped up together during the last shutdown didn't go well.

Jed thinks that if Abbey is this concerned about Leo then she must be convinced that Leo needs to slow down. He nods his head in agreement.

"Leo, can I see you for a minute in the hall," Jed asks his long time friend.

The guys leave Abbey to mother hen Margaret before they head back to White House to start their workday.

Safely out the door Jed turns to Leo and informs him, "Josh will obviously need to take over for you. You can fill him in on things that need to be addressed immediately and the things that can wait, and he can give you updates over the phone or he can come to you here or at the hotel or Margaret's apartment. Where are you going to be staying anyway?"

"I don't know. We haven't broached the subject yet. We don't even know when she will be released, hopefully, it'll be later today, if I can get her to eat or at least drink something and keep it down."

"Leo, I want you to take the rest of this week off, not just today. I don't want to see you in the White House until next Monday, Okay? You have your cell phone for any questions or emergencies that come up."

"Okay thank you Sir. I really appreciate it. I just need to handle things here… with her… you know what I mean."

"Just take care of her and let her know how you feel. I couldn't be happier for the both of you. It's about time." Jed gives Leo's arm friendly supportive squeeze.

Jed pops back through the door, "Margaret, we must be getting back to the White House. You and Leo are not to be in the West Wing until next Monday morning, and 'you' are to be back 'only' if you're ready," he points directly at her. "I mean it. You take all the time you need and get yourself well."

With that he places a warm kiss on her forehead and cups her face with one hand and smiles at her and leans in to whisper to her, "Let him take care of you. He really wants to… he needs to."

Margaret's face flushes as her eyes well up with unshed tears, and she nods a response to him.

Abbey moves in to give her a hug, "I'll be checking in to see that he's taking good care of you. Drink lots of fluids and they may let you go home later today. I'll be by to see you tomorrow."

"Okay I'll try. Thank you both for coming. You really didn't need to. It was just minor surgery. I'm fine."

"Nonsense, we wanted to make sure everything went well and to make sure Leo was taking good care of you. You let us know if he messes up or if you need anything," Jed teases, as he and Abbey head out the door.

_Wednesday afternoon_

Margaret is doing much better today. She's drinking fluids and keeping them down. The blood work shows she no longer has any infection, and she's no longer dehydrated. Her IV was removed after lunch and she's taking a nap before the doctor decides about her being discharged home. Leo waits until she's asleep until he leaves.

They have both decided that Margaret's going to stay with him at his hotel, so he needs to run to her apartment and grab some casual comfortable clothes for her to wear for the next few days.

Margaret was a little embarrassed for Leo to see her apartment. She said she has no real food for them to eat and that it's a little messy, she's afraid she even left her panties on her bathroom floor and her bed isn't made but she really needs some comfortable clothes to rest in at his hotel.

Leo uses her keys to unlock the door to her apartment and looks inside. He's never been to her place before, but it's exactly what he expects it to be. It is so very much 'her.'

He immediately heads to the bedroom and looks for a small suitcase to place some of her things in. He puts the bag of clothes that she wore to work yesterday on the floor.

He places the suitcase on her unmade bed; its one that he recognizes from the campaign trail, he thinks, as he opens it up. He doesn't know where to start; he looks around and quickly makes the bed for her. He picks up her nightgown and puts it in the laundry hamper. He begins opening the dresser drawers looking for her lingerie drawer. He finds it and is almost afraid to touch the contents.

_How does she do this for him all the time? Does she think twice about grabbing my boxers? He never really thought about her going through his things and packing for him. She has done it for years now, especially when some unexpected trip came up but lately she has been doing all his packing for him. 'I wonder how that happened?' _He thinks to himself.

He quickly gathers several pairs of panties and bras, trying not to think how soft and silky they are, and puts them in the suitcase. Next he gathers some loose shirts, soft pants and more nightclothes. He adds some socks and sweaters for her to stay warm while she recovers.

He thinks he has enough to last her for several days and if it's not enough, they can use the hotel laundry to clean her things, along with his clothes.

He next goes into the bathroom and gathers what he thinks she will need. Her soaps and lotions and makeup and all placed in a travel kit she has. He thinks about bringing her blow dryer, but the hotel has one installed and so he just adds her hairbrush to the bag. Her shampoo and conditioner are the last things he adds from the bathroom.

He looks around the room to see her life without him and sees some photos on the dresser, he moves in closer to take a look. There is one of her parents and one of her as a little girl. He smiles when he looks at the wide tooth grin but definitely seeing the woman she is today in that innocent smile and happy eyes, and a picture of her Georgetown graduation with her parents. That is about the time she came to work for him. He remembers that now as he sees the picture.

He sees other photos of her family, and her friends from the White House including one of Mallory and her taken during the last campaign, a candid shot with both of them in casual clothes laughing at something silly. He smiles, as he lovingly fingers the picture of his two favorite red heads with their arms around each other having a good time.

On her bedside table is a picture of Margaret and him that is from one of the State Dinners. She looks so happy standing there with him. They look really good together even though she's a good three inches taller than him. It's a nice picture. He briefly wonders why doesn't he have any pictures of her or even them together. He should ask her whether he could get a copy of some of these from her.

He grabs a book off her bedside table that she's reading and grabs some of her favorite CDs and videos and DVDs from the living room to help her pass the time recovering.

He doesn't want to take too long here because he wants to go do some grocery shopping for them as well for just drinks and snacks. They will order in room service or fast food this week. He also wants to take her things to the hotel and unpack for her before he goes to pick her up from the hospital. He wants her to feel welcome in his suite when she gets there.

He takes a quick tour of her kitchen to see the kind of drinks and snack she likes. There is just some bottled water and diet soft drinks in the fridge and not much else. She is as bad as him for living at the White House. He sees some microwave popcorn and some frozen yogurt in the freezer. So he has some idea of what she likes as he picks up her suitcase, and a pair of walking shoes, and leaves the apartment.

_Wednesday early evening_

Leo supports Margaret's elbow as he leads her through the door into his suite. He brought a loose outfit for her to wear home after he unpacked her bags. He puts down a bag containing the nightgown and robe she was wearing in the hospital and of course, 'his' blanket. The flowers had been given to other patients in the hospital and her other gifts were left in the car for her when she goes home.

Margaret has been to his hotel suite many times before, but she was always in a hurry to pack his bags and get back to the White House, so she never really took the time to look around.

"Well, here we are. Lets get you sitting down on the sofa, or do you want to go right to bed?" He asks her with concern.

"I'm okay, Leo. Why don't you show me around?"

"Well there isn't much to see really."

"Well, I know where the bathroom is and your boxers are kept," she smirks at him. She is starting to feel better.

Leo blushes at her comment, "Margaret!"

"What? You think after the amount of times I packed your bags that I wouldn't know where your underwear is or what type you wear?" She challenges with a smile.

"Yeah and I know where yours are too," Leo smiles back at her as her cheeks flush.

"Truce Leo," she laughs but stops, suddenly remembering the pain in her side.

She takes his arm and allows him to lead her around the suite pointing out the kitchenette, the balcony, the video/DVD player, flat screen TV, and stereo system. He shows her to the bedroom and to where he unpacked her clothes and stored them; he made room for them in his dresser, and his closet; and of course to the bathroom where he lets her where her shampoo and other items are kept.

She is touched that he took the time to pack and unpack her clothes for her and make her feel so welcome in his home.

"You can sleep in here. I'll take the couch."

"Leo, I don't want to put you out of your bed."

"Nonsense, you're recovering from surgery. I want you to be comfortable. The sofa will be fine. Ya know I'm used to sleeping on couches and a lot of places a lot worse than that. I'm just glad that you're here, and that you're letting me take care of you. Speaking of which. Are you hungry? We can order you something light to eat from room service. Is there something special that you would like? Soup perhaps, or a sandwich?"

"It is getting late. I'm not really very hungry, but I think I could handle some soup and maybe some frozen yogurt."

She moves to sit on the sofa, and Leo grabs his Air Force blanket to put on her lap.

Leo hovers over her, "Do you need anything for pain? The doctor said that you could have some Tylenol if you needed it once we got home."

"Not yet, I'll let you know when I need something. Maybe just before bed would be best."

"Okay then. Let me call and order us something. I stopped and picked up some snacks and things to drink that are in the fridge. I know some of what you like, and I looked in your fridge at home to get some more ideas. Margaret, you are just as bad as me about eating. Your fridge was empty except for some soft drinks and water."

"I know it's just that I'm at work a lot more than I'm at home. Boy that sounds familiar, doesn't it?" She smiles at him.

"What kind of soup do you want? Maybe some toast with it too?" He encourages her.

"Chicken noodle or tomato soup is fine and some whole grain toast is great," she relents, even though she isn't very hungry.

"Sounds great me, I think I'll have the same," Leo says as he phones room service with their orders. He already has some frozen yogurt in the freezer for later.

Margaret rests on the sofa under his blanket watching some TV until dinner arrives, while Leo sets the table.

Dinner arrives quickly, and they eat at the dining table. "Is everything okay with your dinner?" Leo asks when he notices that she isn't eating much.

"Yeah, its fine Leo. I'm just not very hungry yet. I will try to finish the soup, but you can have my toast if you want?"

"I will eat the rest if you have one piece of toast," Leo bargains with her.

"Okay, I'll try," she relents.

"You look tired Margaret; we should get you into bed as soon as we're done eating. It's almost nine o'clock and you've had a big day."

"I won't argue with you, I am kinda tired. I will take those Tylenols now though."

"Okay let me get them for you," Leo runs to the bathroom to get them for her.

By the time they are finished dinner, the Tylenol is starting to work. She knows she waited too long to take something for pain. She isn't ready for that yet. She will need to take it regularly for the next couple of days especially now that she's moving around more. The doctor offered her Tylenol with Codeine, but she didn't want to bring it into the hotel due to Leo's previous addiction problems. She doesn't want Leo to know about her refusing the stronger pain medication either, but she also knows that if she were still in the hospital, she'd still have whatever she'd need for discomfort.

Leo helps her up and walks her into the bathroom then he leaves her to brush her teeth while he grabs a nightgown and some clean panties for her.

He gets her settled into bed under 'His Blanket' really wanting her to be protected by it. He then grabs his own pajamas and goes in to get changed. He doesn't want to disturb her later by getting his clothes and changing into them before he goes to sleep.

"Leo, are you sure you're okay on the sofa?" Margaret asks, fighting sleep because she is worried about him.

"I'll be fine. Do you need anything before you go to sleep?"

"No thanks, I'm fine," she yawns.

"Okay then, I will see you in the morning. If you need anything before then don't hesitate to call, anytime at all," Leo says as he leans down to kiss her forehead good night.

Leo leaves her as she goes off to sleep and walks into the living room to turn on CNN. He cleans up the table and puts everything back onto the service tray and pushes the tray into the hallway.

He put a pillow and blanket on the sofa earlier when Margaret was in the bathroom. He lies down to watch the news, and before long he's sound asleep.

_Thursday morning around 1 a.m._

He wakes up a few of hours later and goes in to check on Margaret. He gently sits on the edge of the bed not wanting to wake her. He touches her face to feel for a fever, or at least that is what he tells himself. Once he assures himself that she's okay, he stands up to leave, but in her sleep she moves her hand and it searches out his, holding on tightly to him.

Leo sits again and lets her hold onto him for a little while. The truth of the matter is that he likes holding her hand. This gives him more time to sit with her and watch over her. She begins to move around a little and mumbles in her sleep; nothing he can understand until he hears, "Leo?"

He brushes a kiss to her forehead, and she settles down.

He wants nothing more than to tell her that he loves her, but he doesn't know what she'll say or how she'll react to a declaration of his love for her.

She awakens and sees Leo sitting with her, holding her hand, "Leo what are you doing here?"

"I woke up and decided to come in and check on you. Do you need anything before you go back to sleep? I brought you some more Tylenol. You should take some now. It's too long until morning without any pain meds," he says, offering to help her with them.

"Thanks," she says as she sits up a little to take them. She sees him watching her with concern as she lies down again, "Leo, just get in the bed. I know you won't sleep worrying about me from the other room. It's okay."

"Are you sure? I mean I can sleep out there."

"Yes I'm sure, just get in bed so we can both get back to sleep."

"Okay," he walks around to the other side of the bed and gets in. She turns on her side to face him, and her hand slips over to hold his. "Night."

"Thanks for taking care of me Leo. Night," Margaret says sleepily.

Leo listens for her breathing to settle into a deeper slumber before he kisses her forehead and allows himself to go to sleep as well.

_Thursday Morning_

Both of them are so tired from the last few days that it is almost 9 am before they wake up. Leo quickly realizes that he is spooned in behind her when he wakes the next morning, and it feels so good to be this close to her. He can sense that she is still sleeping, but as he tries to move away from her, she starts to wake up and she murmurs, "Please, don't go yet."

He moves back into the bed and pulls her back into his arms mumbling a thank you as she sighs contentedly to be in his arms once again.

After a few more minutes in bed Leo knows that nature is calling and he is going to have to move out soon. "Margaret?"

"Mmmmm?" She moans.

"I need to get up soon. Nature's calling and it's after 9 o'clock. Do you think you'll be ready to get up soon? I can order us some breakfast after I'm done in the bathroom. Do you have any special requests?"

"Can I have a couple of minutes to think about it?" She asks as she rolls over in bed to face him. She is sore this morning, which is normal, but she needs some help, "And when you come back, could you bring me some Tylenol, please? I think I'll need it if I'm going to try getting up and moving around."

"Sure thing, be back in a few minutes," as he scoots out of the bed and into the bathroom.

A while later Leo returns with a glass of water and two extra-strength Tylenol, and helps her to sit up so she can take them, and then to lie down again so she can give them some time to work before she faces the day.

Margaret nods off to sleep again as she waits for the medication to work. Leo goes ahead and orders a light breakfast for them and then quickly jumps into the shower. He hears the doorbell ring as he steps out of the shower and quickly dons his robe to get to the door before Margaret is disturbed.

_Thursday early afternoon_

After a late breakfast, Margaret is up and moving around, snooping a little here and there in Leo's bedroom after getting dressed following a quick wash up. Maybe tomorrow she'll be able to hop into the shower and wash her hair. That will feel heavenly. There is only so much she will let Leo help her with at this point in time. Leo is taking a call from Josh about a meeting that Josh is taking for Leo later this afternoon.

Margaret is also looking around to see what Leo packed for her and where he placed her things. She thinks he has actually done a pretty good job picking out what she would need for the next few days. She can certainly tell he was married for thirty plus years and that he has a daughter, he also brought just the right extras— her favorite pictures, books, CDs, DVDs. He was so sweet to do this for her.

While she's looking in the closet, she comes across a laundry bill for some clothes he just got back from the hotel laundry. Her eyes bug out of her head at the total at the bottom of the invoice.

Her eyes quickly scan the prices--six dollars for a shirt, two dollars for underwear and socks, two dollars to shine his shoes. This is highway robbery. For the amount of time, he has stayed here and the volume of his laundry that he does. He should be getting some sort of break on the cost of his laundry.

Leo knocks on the door, and she turns and puts the bill behind her back, "Come in."

"I was worried because you were taking so long. Did you manage okay getting dressed?"

"Yeah everything is fine. I'm just having to go slowly to do anything."

"What do you have behind your back?"

"Umm, nothing."

"Margaret," he holds out his hand to her and she sheepishly hands over his laundry bill. He looks at it and doesn't see anything wrong with it. He looks at her with confusion on his face.

"Leo how can you let the hotel take advantage of you like that. That laundry bill is practically extortion."

He shrugs his shoulders, "Those are the prices and so I pay them. It's really not a big deal."

"Leo for a savvy businessman, you are pretty dense about some things. I'm surprised you have any money left at all."

They move out to the living room, and she sits carefully on the sofa. "Leo, I had no idea that you have been paying that kind of money for your laundry all these years."

"Margaret, it really is okay. I am paying the hotel for the convenience of having it done here."

"Listen, I have an idea and I want you to hear me out. Why don't you let me do your laundry for you? I mean I have to do my own anyway, and it won't be that big a deal."

"Margaret there's no way you are adding my laundry to the long list of things you already do for me. I won't hear of it."

"Leo, I want to do it. Please you are wasting your money and the hotel is taking advantage of that. Unless… you don't want me to," she says quietly, as she looks down at her hands. "Is it too personal for you to let me clean your clothes?"

He blushes at her offer. Her selfless offer to care for him is not surprising, "No that's not it at all. I don't know about this. If I do agree to this, I would want to pay you for it. It wouldn't feel right, otherwise."

She gets upset with him, "When I offered to do it, it wasn't for money. I want to do this for you. It's not that much trouble, I have to do mine anyway. Aren't you getting the point? You spend too much money!"

"I'm sorry, but at least let me pay for the coins for the machines and for the detergent and fabric softener. I need to do something," he says sheepishly.

"You need to get out of this hotel and into an apartment, either a rental or a condo. They'll soon be calling this place the '_WaterMcGarry' _soon. You've certainly paid enough for it over the years. Don't waste your money. You're just throwing it away like this. Get a condo and have something to show for it in the end."

"I just don't have time to spend looking for a place to live, Jenny always did that..." he lowers his head; he didn't mean to bring Jenny into this conversation.

"Leo, it's okay," she tries to assure him that it's okay for him to mention Jenny. She is part of his life, his past and the mother of his daughter.

"Yeah… hey we could look on the Internet for some places, if you want?" She changes the subject quickly. "We'll have lots of time this week to find you something, especially with you taking care of me here. I'll do all the Internet work; you just have to pick one out."

"Okay, Mallory has been on me for… well, lets just say for a long time, to get out of here and at least into an apartment," he relents.

"Do you want an apartment, a condo or a house?" She asks impatiently, wanting to corner him before he changes his mind.

"I don't think a house is what I need right now, maybe a condo," 'somewhere close to you,' he adds in his head.

He wishes that Margaret and he were looking for their place to move into together. He is somewhat shy about this conversation.

"Leo, are you okay?" She sees his shyness and wants to know what he is thinking.

"Margaret, would you stop worrying about me and think about yourself for once. Look where you wound up two days ago, and if I hadn't forced you to go then? Who knows what could have happened if your appendix burst if you had been alone." He says to her in a loud but concerned voice. "You could have been so much sicker or even died," he says sadly.

Margaret is surprised with the emotion and fear that she sees in his eyes.

"Its okay, Leo. Everything turned out okay."

Leo knows now that he has to tell her… now how he feels.

"I'm ok, really I am," she moves over to him and puts a hand on his arm. "See everything is fine now because of you."

"It's just..." he fidgets and looks at everything but her.

"It's just what, Leo?" She gently prods him to tell her what is bothering him.

"I… care for you… more than I thought I ever could," he finally blurts out.

"And I care for you too," she smiles at him.

"No, Margaret, I mean I... really care for you. I want to take care of you, and make you happy, and make sure you're provided for. I... Margaret... I love you," he finally gets it out.

Margaret is stunned and just stands there with her mouth open. She had no idea he's had these kinds of feelings for her.

Leo is scared, because she's just standing there, and he thinks she mustn't feel the same way about him and is trying to think of a way to let him down easy.

"Margaret, I don't expect you to feel the same way about me. I'm sorry if I've made you uncomfortable. It's just... well… I had to tell ya."

She's still trying to process what he is saying to her.

He moves over to her, "Are you okay?"

"Oh Leo, I'm not uncomfortable. It's just… I never thought you'd ever feel the same way that I do… about you," she smiles at him.

"You mean?"

"Yes, I mean I love you too," as she leans in to kiss him, brushing her lips gently across his.

His hand moves up to her face, and his finger traces her eyes and nose and lips. Leo's eyes bore intensely into hers, as she leans her face into his hand.

Their eyes are still locked together as he moves closer to her, and she feels his body's heat against her and she almost shudders with desire.

Her hands run lightly over his hair and then the wrinkles on his forehead.

He pulls her into his arms, and they hold each other snugly. He's careful not to hurt her, still wary of her side.

"Are you okay?" She asks him as they hold each other.

He whispers into her hair, "I just love you so much," his voice full of emotion. He is just so relieved that someone loves him as much as he loves her. He's felt so alone for this last year, but right now he has a reason to be happy and that is why he is so emotional.

She holds him as he cries. He holds her tightly because he is almost weak-kneed with emotion. He cries softly for all the wasted years that he has loved her. He doesn't even know exactly when he fell in love with her; he just knows he never wants to leave her arms.

He has no way of knowing that she has loved him for just as long a time. She rubs his back comforting him; she understands completely why he's crying. This has been a difficult year for all of them and he has been driving himself at work to block out his troubles.

She has wanted to hold him like this for years, to take away his pain so many countless times, over these years. Now she too is overcome with emotion. So much has gone wrong for him throughout the years and she has always wondered if he would be able to survive everything he has been dealt.

Leo has never made it easy for her to get closer to him, putting up wall after wall, making it almost impossible for her to love him but now everything has changed.

He's always felt that he needed to suffer for everything wrong in his life. He thinks he was weak willed, and felt that he didn't deserve to be happy. Jenny left him, and Margaret knows Leo felt he deserved it, he felt unworthy to be loved, but Margaret saw through all of it—the drugs, the drinking, the working too much. They all took their toll on everyone, but not her. In her eyes, he was always redeemable.

When Leo said that she was, "a good girl," it hurt her, she wanted to 'be' his woman, but that hurt was that he thought she was a little girl… it really hurt that he thought she was too young for him, but her feelings intensified even more for him after that. He kept her at arms length, never letting her get too close.

Margaret lost any hope that he would ever see her as a woman, and she was really upset when he started dating Jordan, a woman closer to his own age, but Jordan wasn't good enough for him. She doesn't really know what happened with them except maybe the lack of time and interest, but thankfully, they soon stopped seeing one another.

Leo's never before given her any signs of how he felt for her, it might have to be up to her to see how far they can go. She moves her lips to his neck and kisses his neck moving closer to his lips with each kiss. Their tears mixing as their lips finally touch and relax into each other, as their lips part, and they gently but thoroughly explore each other's mouths until breathing becomes an issue.

She pulls back, and licks her lips and her eyes moved back and forth between his eyes and lips unsure where to look. She doesn't see the apprehension there any longer, but a certain vulnerability that she finds more sensual than she ever thought she would.

Margaret knows that she will have to be the one to move this relationship along. She knows that Leo comes with some painful baggage that will make him skittish about how quickly to move things. So it will be up to her, so she pulls him back into her arms, just wanting to hold him closer to her once again.

Apprehensive thoughts flash through their minds as they contemplate what to do next. Both are afraid but willing to move on and learn from previous mistakes and experiences, neither willing to give up what they have just found. But that first step is the hardest.

The kisses on her forehead in the hospital were the first hints of his real feelings for her, and they only happened because she got sick. He did act differently, but she thought it was just because she was sick and that he wouldn't remember any of it once she got better. He was just being nice to her because he was scared for her. The hospital kisses were like fatherly kisses, just like he kissed Mallory. Or so she thought.

Leo thinks to himself that his _job has cost him so much –his marriage, his friendship with Abbey, even Jed and he are not as close as they once were, and he rarely even sees Mallory anymore, but he feels more love for Margaret than he previously was ever willing to admit_.

He has feared for a while now that he would grow old alone and lonely. And now, he is just so relieved and happy that it seems that won't be the case at all. He and Margaret have found each other in this new and loving way and it is almost too much for him to take in, and that was what the emotional outpouring was all about tonight.

Margaret pulls back from their embrace and takes that first big step as she holds his hand and leads him into his bedroom to his still unmade bed. She encourages him lie down. He scoots over and then she moves onto the bed and she lies down next to him and holds him as best as she can without causing any pain to her incision. He's so grateful she is there for him and as he pulls her closer to him, he's even more pleased that he can hold her like this now.

The both know she is in no way ready for anything more physical yet, so he just runs his hand down her shoulder, and she curls up under his chin and kisses his chest as he holds her firmly to him. She opens a couple of buttons on his shirt, so the collar won't choke him while he is lying down. He smiles, when she opens his collar. She's always taking care of him, and it's been so many years since someone cared about him like this or wanted to take care of him. He… Leo… with all of his faults and foibles was still wanted—by her. Neither of them knows just how far things can go, so they try some touching, and loving caresses, and light kissing, and cuddling; just getting to know what the other likes.

He knows Margaret loves to care for him; he sees it in her actions every day at work. It is one of the reasons he likes to go to work, because he knows she'll be there. He loves that she stays at work until he goes to the hotel and that she bugs him to eat and rest properly. But, he's concerned about her too, she needs to take better care of herself, and he's gonna make sure that she does. They will love each other and take care of each other from now on, as a team. More dynamic than they are already and that really 'is' saying something.

Throughout the afternoon, they just rested together and talked and held each other this way, finally nodding off into a light slumber. Both of them more tired than even they expected from their years spent working in the White House, and the events of the past few days. The have finally found each other, and are settling comfortably into their new life together.

_Sunday night _

Throughout the week Margaret and Leo become closer romantically as he takes good care of her and nurses her back to health. Long evenings snuggling together on the couch, watching movies or reading books or listening to music and making out like teenagers whenever the mood struck which was at least once a day, and usually more often than that. The apprehension leading up the their disclosure is now gone, both completely comfortable with the new status of their relationship.

While holed up at the hotel during the week they also kept busy. After a quick trip to her apartment for her laptop computer, and with a momentary look on the Internet, they found several possible condominiums for Leo to consider buying.

After looking at three of them, Leo found one that was perfect, an older three-bedroom condo apartment, with a fireplace, en suite bathroom and laundry room facilities, plus a real bonus is that it's only five minutes from Margaret's apartment. It's large and comfortable but not ostentatious which appeals to Margaret's style; that pleases him because he wants her to be comfortable in his home, hoping that someday it will be their home.

Jed and Abbey invited both of them over to dinner at the Residence on Sunday night, and can both see immediately when Leo and Margaret enter the room holding hands that something… no everything has changed for the better between them.

During dinner, they all celebrate Margaret's return to health, and they talk excitedly about the new condo and when he is moving in and how it will be decorated. He has some furniture in storage from when he left Jenny, including some antiques from his mother's home. He was able to take immediate possession because the condo had been on the market for so long and was standing empty for some time. He actually got a good deal on it, which appealed to Margaret's frugal sense, so there was much to celebrate.

Leo and Margaret return to the hotel after a lovely evening with the President and Abbey, and snuggle for a while on the sofa, listening for some soft music. All week they have been wondering when they might be able to take their relationship to the next level. On the sofa, after their return from the White House, things really start to heat up. Deep passionate kisses and bold caresses increase their desire for more intense loving. They have gotten lots of practice making out during the last week as well as learning what pleases the other and tonight is no exception.

Both of them are returning to work in the morning, but neither of them is looking forward to returning to work, especially after spending this past week getting to know each other better on a more personal level, as well as resting and sleeping in each other's arms each night, and whenever the mood struck them during the day.

They're both anxious to take their physical relationship to the next stage but only if and when she is ready. Her health is more important than their physical desires. While no clothing has been removed to this point, they have sought out clothing barriers, touching intimately through their clothing and perhaps the might have even explored under them a little.

Margaret is doing very well healing from her surgery, but they still need to be careful and not be too physical if they should decide to make love for the first time, tonight.

Margaret thinks she has recovered enough to move on to the next stage of their physical relationship, and so she stands up and offers her hand to Leo to get him up from the sofa. They walk together into the bedroom, and she pulls him into a romantic kiss before they even get to the bed. Her hands move up to remove his tie and open his shirt.

His hands come up to stop her busy hands, "Margaret, are you sure?"

"Yeah, I'm sure. Are you sure you want to do this? I mean we don't have to if you aren't ready to."

"Oh Baby, you have no idea how much I want to, but only if you are ready and healthy enough. Your health is more important, and I don't want to rush you into anything especially if you aren't ready. I don't want to hurt you."

"Oh, I have a pretty good idea of how much you want to," she smirks as her hand runs down his body to rest against his arousal. "Lets see how it goes, and I promise to tell you if anything hurts, okay?"

"Okay," he says, as he pulls her in for another kiss, moving closer to the bed. Her hands continue to unbutton his shirt as his hands move up to her shirt and start on unbuttoning hers.

They make quick work of their pants until they are standing there in their underwear, pausing and gazing at each other before they move onto the bed. Leo moves over to kiss her and his hands skimming lightly over her body. His kisses soon follow his hands, and soon he is kissing her newly healed appendix scar, which peeks out just above her panties.

She giggles when she feels his soft lips on her scar. She pulls him up so she can really kiss him again. He reaches behind and undoes her bra and watches, as her breasts are visible to him for the first time. Leo smiles at her, before he leans over and takes her right nipple into his mouth, while his right hand moves over to knead her left nipple.

She moans aloud with her pleasure, and with her hand behind his head, pulls him to her encouraging him to not be so gentle. She wants him to enjoy himself and not be so careful with her. She isn't going to break. Her hands are exploring his chest and then his back, and then she starts to pull at his boxers.

He looks up at her, and sees the dark passion in her eyes and is a little surprised by her impatience. He realizes she wants him as much as he wants her. He reaches down and pulls off his boxers and drops them to the floor. He looks up to her and asks permission to remove hers too. She smiles and nods, and he slowly slides her panties down her long legs.

He reaches around her and into the bedside table for a condom. He picked some up when they were out shopping during the week, just to be ready, for when they made love for the first time. She smiles as she watches him apply the condom.

He turns her on her side facing away from him, kissing the back of her neck and shoulder, as he slides his arm around her, brushing his fingers lighting over her breasts before moving down and slipping between her legs, gently rubbing her. He then slides a finger into her to be sure she is ready for him, and he pulls it out and rubs around her pleasure center once again. She pants and moans and tries to turn on her back. He stops her with his hand.

"Sweetie, I don't think it's a good idea for us to make love with me on top of you, just yet. I don't want to hurt you, so maybe it's best if I hold you and touch you in the front, and I enter you from here, with you on your side. What do you think?" He asks while stroking her still.

"Oh Leo, I don't know. I haven't made love like this before, but for our first time can we face each other? I understand about not being on top of me, and I'm certainly not ready to do all the work on top of you, just yet. But, I want to kiss you and hold you while we make love for the first time."

"Yeah, we can do that. Come here Baby," as he helps her onto her left side as she turns to face him, and he pulls her right leg over his hip, opening her up to him, "Are you ready, My Love?"

She nods her consent, and he inserts his erection into her warm center slowly and gently, giving her plenty of time to adjust to him as he gently moves deeper into her.

Once he is fully inside her, they look into each other's smoldering eyes and she nods to him and he gently begins to move. Tender affectionate kisses enhance the enjoyment of the slow sensual movements between them that are so wonderful. Even though this is their first time together they want to take their time, both of them knowing that this isn't a race to see who can reach their peak first.

Two sets of hands, exploring lightly as their mutual passions ignite; slowly building pleasures, then Leo slowly moves his hand back down to her pleasure center as he feels himself building to his conclusion. He stops and checks with her from time to time, just to slow things down and make sure she is comfortable and enjoying herself as much as he is. When he feels they are both ready he begins to move a little faster inside her and around her bundle with his fingers, "Are you okay Baby? Are you getting close?"

Margaret has enjoyed everything about their loving making, Leo is such a gentle and generous lover, and she is indeed nearing her peak, "Hmm… hmm… yeah I am," and she moves to kiss him again, pulling him closer as she lifts her hips to his.

Her breathing is getting faster as she feels herself getting closer, "Leo… are you ready? Please… let go for me… now… harder… now!!! God… I love you so much."

Leo moans his consent and pushes into her harder one last time as they both crash over the edge of passion, each moaning words of love for the other.

Later after they have recovered from their first evening of lovemaking they lie in bed just holding each other. Sleepily, "Are you okay Baby? Was it too soon for us to do this?"

"No, My Love, it was perfect and I'm fine. I love you for making it so special for me. You were the perfect… the gentlest lover. You made me feel so special. Thank you so much," she murmurs as she places a warm, loving, sleepy, and satisfied kiss on his very receptive lips.

"I love you so much, and I want you to know that this was very special for me too. I'm so glad you're okay. Even though I want to make love to you again already; in fact, I won't ever be able to think of a time when I won't want to make love to you." He kisses her and pulls her closer, "But we are going to take our time and be gentle and creative with positioning until you are completely healed from your surgery before we go all out with our lovemaking."

"Thank you so much for being so understanding and you know, creative can be good," she smirks as she shifts her hips into his.

"But for now what do you think about us getting some sleep. Did you set the clock for the morning?" He asks her.

"Yeah I did, and I'm so glad we got some of my work clothes today so we can sleep in a bit in the morning and I can spend another few nights here with you. I've gotten used to having you with me at night, and it's going to be hard to give that up," she laments.

"I'm glad you're here too and that we can go in to work together in the morning. I've gotten used to sleeping in your arms too, and I don't want to give that up either. We may have to take turns sleeping over at each other's apartments, if we don't want to spend time apart especially at night. It's great that my new condo is close to your apartment."

"By the end of the month we'll have you completely moved into your new apartment, and then I'll be able to take care of your laundry and you will be done with the highway robbery from these hotel prices."

"How about you bring over your laundry and do it at my place too? If you're going to do mine, you should be able to do yours there too, and not spend the extra money on the machines in your building."

"That sounds like a reasonable plan to me. Thank you for thinking of that. We can spend some time together while it's being done too. I'll just use a suitcase to bring my clothes back and forth."

"Well, you know you can keep some of your stuff at my place too."

"Well that goes for you too you know?"

"Great that sounds like a plan to me. Now are you ready for lights out?"

Margaret reaches over and turns out the light and their naked bodies snuggle back together and he spoons in behind her.

"Night Leo, I love you," she says sleepily.

"Good night Margaret, I love you too," he says, as he kisses the back of her neck and settles off to sleep.

The End

Thanks for all the lovely feedback. It is most appreciated. While I had no firm plan to develop this story more, I do have some ideas that could work as a sequel, but school and work take priorities until the beginning of April. The only reason this was finished along with my Christmas story is because I was confined to bed for 2 weeks at the beginning of December with bronchitis.

Imp


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